What strides towards civilization occurred during the Neolithic Age? Whatinstitutions emerged, and why?.
The Neolithic era was one of the most important times in history. Agriculture was founded, leading to the establishment of communities. Although this change took a rather long time, the changes were revolutionary. These changes became what are seen today as the bedrock of modern society.
Prior to the Neolithic age, gathering took place wherever the hunt had taken them. During this gradual change to agriculture, grain began to be raised during long period of hunting. Women, whose major duties included gathering, are thought to be the founders of agriculture. At the beginning of this era, farming supplemented the hunting and gathering; by the end it was the main food source. .
As farming increased, people settled in villages to be near the farmland. Specialized occupations began to be created to support the farming and initiate trade. This cooperative behavior necessitated by agriculture resulted in steadily increasing populations in permanent locations.
Other concepts were created, that until then, had never been necessary. First, after all the hard labor to work the fields a sense of ownership was created. The concept of private property was born. When this ownership became more common, a system of rules and regulations needed to be put in place. This also required the creation of central authority to enforce these rules and regulations when disputes arose between two parties.
The important role of women in the creation of agriculture is also seem as the point where woman began to be seen as more than child bearers. The parallels of women, fertility, and the growth of food, had religious implications. Female centered cults and female priestesses replaced male gods and priests. .
These changes took longer in some places then in others. It happened in different periods for different groups of people.
